The problem of biofilm formation in dental unit water lines (DUWLs) has long been an issue in dentistry and something that every dental practice needs to tackle on a constant basis in order to be compliant with HTM 01-05.

Bioclear Daily, is our latest offering to remedy the problem of water quality in dental unit water lines and is a disinfectant for treating the RO or distilled water used to fill dental chair bottles. It’s easy to use, and gives the team confidence that the microbiological quality of the water going into DUWLs is HTM 01-05 compliant. It’s also designed to inhibit the formation of biofilm in the system, ensuring the output water delivered into the patient’s mouth is also within the guidelines.

Bioclear Daily has a handy dosing cup, which is used to make up a 1% solution with RO or distilled water and this solution is used to fill the water bottle of the dental unit. If there’s any leftover solution, it can be kept for up to 10 days, provided it’s stored in a sealed plastic container, not forgetting to label it with the date it was made and the use-by date!

Using Bioclear Daily in DUWLs means practices can rest assured that the disinfectant is working to protect the system around the clock; bottles can be left on overnight because when there’s a disinfectant present in the water, the system is protected.

Bioclear Daily is part of a robust DUWL maintenance system, which when used together with Bioclear biofilm remover, brings complete peace of mind around water quality in DUWLs. Bioclear should be used as a purge cleaner before the first use of Bioclear Daily, to ensure the system is free from biofilm. It can then be used as a regular purge as required. Testing the quality of the DUWL output water every three months is the recommended method to decide if a purge is required.

There are two easy ways dentisan can help with testing DUWLs:

1. dentisan water test kit: A free water test kit is supplied with each box of Bioclear and kits are also available to purchase separately. Simply:

• take one sample of the water as it goes into the chair;
• take one sample from the 3in1 line;
• label the samples; and
• post them back to dentisan in the Freepost envelope provided.

dentisan will test the samples in its in-house lab and email back a report detailing any remedial action required – all without additional charge.

2. Dip slides: These enable practices to carry out their own testing on-site. They’re easy to use and give a good indication of the quality of the water tested. It’s recommended to test both the chair input and output (3in1) sample. Simply run the water sample over both sides of the agar panel for 2 seconds (taking care not to touch the agar), let the paddle drain for a second then place it firmly in the plastic tube provided and store for two days if incubated at 30°C, or three days if stored at room temperature. After the allotted time, the results are determined by comparing the appearance of the dip slide with the pictures in the instructions for use.

Using Bioclear Daily in conjunction with regular purges with Bioclear is the simplest way to ensure practices’ DUWL systems are protected and remain protected with regular monitoring, giving you peace of mind that you are doing the right thing – for your staff, your patients and your practice.

Laura Yates BSc CChem MRSC
Technical Manager at dentisan

For more information visit https://dentisan.co.uk/product-category/dental-unit-water-lines/